Image via Complex Original
Intro
That piece of furniture you currently have your feet on? It’s not just a place to leave controllers, discs, and drinking glass water markings. It’s also a table that’s just dying to be classed up with some visual literature. Granted, it’s hard to beat a tall, sexy stack of Architectural Digest issues; yet we do have 25 recommendations of head-turning video game books that can enhance any coffee table.
“There are actually 25 video game coffee table books?”, you ask? We could have easily made this a 50 item list if you consider the wealth art books, list books and collectors edition strategy guides out there. We even looked at a few game design textbooks. My personal coffee table book request? A ‘complete works’ collection of Designers Republic’s contributions to the Wipeout series.
RELATED: List of the Best Video Games of 2013
25
25. 1001 Video Games You Need To Play Before You Die
Author: Various (Edited by Tony Mott)
Publisher: Universe
It’s a testament to the video game medium that there are undoubtedly over 1001 games worth playing. And in browsing through this lengthy list, it doesn’t take long for any well-versed gamer to find a glaring omission, which in turn makes this thick book an automatic (and often heated) conversation piece. Personally, I was disappointed that Street of Rage 2 and Beyond Oasis didn’t make the list but four Guitar Hero games did.
24
24. Dawn: The Worlds Of Final Fantasy
Author: Yoshitaka Amano
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
While Yoshitaka Amano stepped down as Final Fantasy’s main character designer after FFVI, his often otherworldly visual style continues to give the series a cohesive brand look (and it continues to do so with this year’s Final Fantasy XIII-2). It’s fascinating on how easy it is to make the visual connection between a simple sprite character and Amano’s more elaborate vision of that same character.
At a modest 116 pages, it’s not the most comprehensive gathering of his Final Fantasy works and Dark Horse should know that there are a few gamers out there who would fork over cash for a robust omnibus.
23
23. Deus Ex: Human Revolution Collector’s Edition Guide
Author: Various
Publisher: Future Press
I remember having to blink a couple times in wonder over the Deus Ex: Human Revolution’s title screen and its inventive use of (mostly) triangles to form Adam Jensen’s post-modern visage. It’s the same image used in the cover of the collector’s edition of the very slick official strategy guide.
It’s no surprise that the interior layout of the book stays true to the game’s modern design, along with using the same fonts as the Human Revolution’s menus and UI.
22
22. Yu Suzuki Game Works Volume 1
Author: Yu Suzuki, Various
Publisher: Sega
Ego jokes aside (the adding ‘Volume 1’ to the title was a nice touch), this Japanese hardcover documents Yu Suzuki’s major works from the 1980’s, reminding arcade fans of his talent during Sega’s arcade heyday.
It reads in chronological order with Hang-On, Space Harrier, Outrun, After Burner, and finally Power Drift, with some additional pages briefly acknowledging Virtua Fighter and Shenmue. The dust jacket has the Dreamcast power indicator triangle because this book also happens to house a Dreamcast disc that features all five games.
21
21. Ico: Castle In The Mist
Author: Miyuki Miyabe
Publisher: Haikasoru
This is the only novel that made the list; it’s eye catching in that some will recognize the cover as the same one used in the much regarded Japanese PS2 cover of Ico. Sony gave author Miyuki Miyabe a great deal of creative license to retell Ico’s story, so much so that you cannot use this novel as a walkthrough for the game.
The English translation was done by Alexander O. Smith whose resume includes the Ace Attorney series, the PSP remake of Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, and Vagrant Story.
20
20. Gamescenes: Art in the Age of Videogames
Artist: Various
Publisher: Johan & Levi Editore
As Gamescenes contributor Matteo Bittanti put it, this book is not about video games as art nor is it about art as a game. Gamescenes is more about how games become tools and inspirations for all kinds of artistic expression, such as Valentina Tanni’s ‘Shooter’, a video & photo project that captures the facial expressions of first person shooter players.
Beyond the images, Gamescenes’ writers do a lot to contextualize and explain their work with insightful accompanying text.
19
19. Okami Official Complete Works
Artist: Various
Publisher: Udon Entertainment
As much as this list could have turned into the Udon Entertainment Showcase, we instead chose to highlight key releases from the publisher, starting with this standout art book on Okami. You couldn’t ask for a better presentation than by giving the cover a fake worn out look to accentuate the game’s superb antiquated visuals.
At nearly 300 pages, there are more than enough watercolor, woodblock and sumi-e designs to admire.
18
18. Valve Presents: The Sacrifice and Other Steam-Powered Stories
Author: Various
Publisher: Dark Horse
Any book that prominently features Team Fortress 2’s Heavy certainlymakes a statement, but it also helps to be a hardcover book with a 9 x 12 footprint and a sleek matte finish too cool for a dust jacket. This 200+ page collection contains every Valve comic published by Dark Horse (Portal, Left 4 Dead, & Team Fortress 2) up until August 2011.
While the TF2 tale is short on cohesion, it does make up for it by being the funniest of the three game stories.
17
17. Portal 2 Collector’s Edition Guide
Author: Various
Publisher: Future Press
I’ve always admired the sterile, clinical aspects of Portal’s design aesthetic, a look that seeps into the strategy guide, another by Future Press. Aside from its thoroughness in puzzle solutions (which you should only look to if you’re absolutely stuck), this guide also has an artwork section, interviews and a speed run guide of the original Portal.
As a finishing touch, this collector’s edition also has a pair of woven bookmarks, one blue, one orange, naturally.
(Special thanks to StrategyGuideReviews’ Keri Honea for the page image.)
16
16. Catherine Official Visual & Scenario Collection - Venus Mode
Author: Various
Publisher: ASCII Media Works
If the U.S. pre-order artbook wasn’t enough to satiate your Catherine fix, this import visual collection has a few more images of the title character and even more pics of Vincent’s girlfriend Katherine.
Venus Mode is also a perfect example of the myriad character design/guide collections that come out for many games in Japan. Those literate in kanji can enjoy the thorough development notes and the full dialog script.
15
15. Shigenori Soejima Art Works 2004-2010
Artist: Shigenori Soejima
Publisher: Udon Entertainment.
Shigenori Soejima’s visualization of Persona has become as memorable as Kazuma Kaneko’s contributions to the series’ earlier installments. This art book (thanks to Udon Entertainment for bringing it to the U.S.) not only has a ton of Persona 3 and Persona 4 images, but like many other Japanese art books, there is an intriguing ‘Other Works’ section at the end.
One sign of a great art book is one where you’re tempted to remove some of the pages to hang, thereby compelling you to buy an additional copy; this is one such book.
14
14. Halo Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide To The Halo Universe
Editor: Tobias Buckell
Publisher: DK Publishing
With its large size, glossy dust jacket, and heavy emphasis on images, this one took me back to my parents’ coffee books growing up in the 80’s. Not that it’s a bad thing because the Halo Encyclopedia certainly makes a statement. Just be sure to get the revised 2011 edition which features improved editing over the previous version.
13
13. Assassin’s Creed Encyclopedia
Author: Various
Publisher: Ubiworkshop
In the battle of encyclopedias’, Assassin’s Creed edges out Halo by a hair with its inventive packaging, namely with an antistatic bag in the techno-centric style of Abstergo Industries.
The contents of the book are impressively comprehensive, focusing a lot on the Templar/Assassin conflict in the context of the Assassin’s Creed universe as well as a lot of background info on the locations the series has explored.
One edition of the book also includes the “Cartes Blanches”, a collection of high-quality guest artist images on cardstock showcasing a series of ‘what-if’ assassins from different time periods.
12
12. Tactics Ogre Wheel of Fortune Art Works
Authors: Akihiko Yoshida, Tsubasa Masao
Publisher: Square Enix
Being a fan of Akihiko Yoshida’s character design work in Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy XII, I was certain to add something of his to this rundown. Compared to the other art books in this list, Tactics Ogre is on the minimal side where many single characters images get their own dedicated pages with very little text. The translucent plastic dust jacket makes for a finishing touch, enhancing the overflowing cast image on the cover.
11
11. The Art of Uncharted 2
Artist: Various
Publisher: Ballistic Publishing
For as great as Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception was, its few shortcomings managed to enhance my appreciation for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.
This book is chock full of unseen art, the most intriguing being the early concept sketches of characters like Chloe and Lazarevic. If you missed out on the $300 200-count Limited Folio Edition, there’s one that was recently posted on Ebay for $2,500.
10
10. i am 8-bit: Art Inspired by Classic Videogames of the ‘80s
Editor: Jon M. Gibson
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Jon M. Gibson’s production company has come a long way since its humble 2004 beginnings and this book helped take the iam8bit brand beyond L.A.’s Gallery Nineteen Eighty Eight.
Many pieces show inventive ways to reinterpret pixel art while others are captivating in their surreal dream (or nightmare) motifs. It has since spawned an equally impressive sequel aptly titled Super iam8bit.
9
9. Valkyria Chronicles Design Archive
Artist: Raita Honjo, Various
Publisher: Udon Entertainment
One might confuse this as a well-designed strategy guide as it strikes a perfect balance of showcasing a ton of art, while packing a lot of informative text to go along with it, more so than your typical art book.
The fact that Sega has published similarly designed books for the other two Valkyria Chronicles (and all the covers use the same facing-left theme) makes the lack of a U.S. version of VC3 all the more disappointing. At least this first book got a proper U.S. translated release, thanks again to Udon Entertainment.
8
8. The Art of God of War III
Artist: Various
Publisher: Ballistic
Much like the Uncharted 2 art book (and from the same publisher, Ballistic), The Art of God of War III effectively showcases how much pre-production visual work can go into a single game. Unlike Nathan Drake, Kratos finds it really hard to restrain aggravated expressions.
With all that intensity, you wonder how he doesn’t pull a muscle; oh right, gods don’t pull muscles.
7
7. The Art of The Mass Effect Universe
Artist: Various
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
While not out until February 21, we did manage to get an early look at this perfect companion piece to that Mass Effect marathon you’re going through at this moment to prepare for Mass Effect 3.
In this hardcover book you’ll find a wealth of concept and environmental art plus a slew of final character renders, including many of the supporting characters. There’s also a limited edition version featuring additional content, all housed in a clamshell case available only through the BiowareStore (but you probably already have it pre-ordered).
6
6. Mega Man Tribute
Artist: Various
Publisher: Udon Entertainment
Much like i am 8-bit, Mega Man Tribute is a testament to the talents of artistic gamers and their imagination in reinterpreting iconic characters of the medium. This 300-page homage spans the full spectrum of styles, from designers who do not stray too far from Mega Man’s official look to much more radical re-imaginings.
If Capcom was ever in search of their own surrealist Yoshitaka Amano for Mega Man, that artist’s work is most likely in this book.
5
5. Street Fighter IV / Super Street Fighter IV Official Complete Works
Artist: Daigo Ikeno, Various
Publisher: Udon Entertainment
You probably won’t find a more comprehensive document of the many ideas and designs that led to Street Fighter’s 2008 comeback.
This book has a level of insight that would be helpful to some video game art students, down to the color breakdown of Juri’s outfit. Character designer Daigo Ikeno has a bit of fun as well, as illustrated by various amusing drawings like Blanka standing upright in jungle explorer gear and one where he’s wearing Dan’s outfit.
4
4. Rogue Leaders: The Story of LucasArts
Author: Rob Smith
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Out of these 25 books, Rogue Leaders is the most compelling conversation piece by simply having a lenticular cover alternating the above images (as well as LEGO Indiana Jones).
Many other game publisher/developers are worthy of an equally thorough tome but would those companies be willing to showcase eye-opening internal memos, pictorials of cancelled projects, and offer reflective thoughts on the less memorable games in their history?
With the recent positive reception of The Old Republic, perusing the book’s images of Knights of The Old Republic 3 feels less bittersweet.
3
3. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Official Art Works
Artist: Yoji Shinkawa, Various
Publisher: Square Enix
This #3 spot was reserved for Yoji Shinkawa’s Metal Gear Solid work, and any of his art books on Konami’s flagship series could have qualified.
Since he gets better with age, I chose to highlight Peace Walker. Glancing at his work often makes me wonder what a graphic novel illustrated by Shinkawa would look like.
2
2. Capcom Design Works
Artist: Various
Publisher: Capcom
Nostalgia places this book above the other Capcom entries in this list. While this collection has its share of Street Fighter, Onimusha and Tech Romancer images, it’s even more captivating to page through older games like 1941, Forgotten Worlds, and old school Strider.
There are even a few pictorials of the company’s fictional mascot, Captain Commando.
1
1. Supercade: A Visual History of the Videogame Age 1971-1984
Author: Van Burnham, Various
Publisher: MIT Press
Released back in 2001, this was my first videogame coffee table book and is fittingly hefty with its large square footprint. Many of the pages are laid out with some modern artistic flare while also being satisfyingly informative.
More than just using screenshots and cabinet art, this book also showcases archival photos and lots of promotional imagery just in case you want to feel older than you do now.